Dani Kristina is a third-year student on campus, whose hopes and dreams to become a singer/songwriter began when she was only five years old.
“Since I was a kid I felt the desire to express myself this way, I was kind of like a strange child […] I would skip school to write,” said Kristina.
At 5-years-old Kristina’s piano teacher hosted a composition competition, not knowing what composition even meant, she submitted a classical piano piece and won.
Ever since that day, she has continued to express herself through her music.
Growing up in Mississauga, Ontario, where she graduated from St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School before pursuing her degree at Wilfrid Laurier University.
Dani Kristina / Contributed Image
Her biggest influence is Regina Spektor.
“She has been one of my favourite artists since I was like seven[…] a lot of my storytelling and songwriting comes from her. I just think she has a really good way of shaping metaphors in music and hiding meaning in her lyrics that a lot of artists could benefit from,” said Kristina.
Although greatly inspired by Regina Spektor, Kristina also shares that she has never been the type of person to label her influences down to one artist because something new can be learned from everyone.
Currently, Kristina has Taylor Swift’s new album Evermore on repeat, along with her regular favourites; Creedence Clearwater Revival and Def Leppard.
As for her sound, Kristina writes her songs to fit more of an alternative & folk track, but depending on the producer the song will come out with a Pop sound to fit more audiences.
Her EP came out this past October called ‘Aura,’ which is available on all platforms including Spotify and Apple Music.
“It’s been a long time coming,” she emphasized.
She has also recorded some singles and music videos and has done a lot of work within the Croatian community.
Kristina has worked with big artists around Christmastime at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga, and has done a lot of work with the Mississauga Art Council, contributing to her win of the Mississauga Music Award this November.
